-1Maive knew that her struggling was getting her nowhere, but she couldn't help it. She knew Tony and the two guards were in trouble. They needed her help! They didn't know what they were getting into!
Maive stared at the house, praying that her companions would come out again. She was staring so intently that she caught the movement at the side of the house. She squinted, looking closer and saw Tony disappear into the woods.
No. It couldn't be. He wasn't leaving her here! And what about the guards!
Maive tried to yell after him, but she couldn't it past the cloth in her mouth. She cursed silently, wishing Tony hadn't done this.
Maive calmed herself. She couldn't think if she was mad. She tried to figure out a solution. One came to her slowly.
Maive murmured a spell into the gag, a spell to call help. She didn't know if it would work, but it was the best she could do. She used all her gift in the spell, calling on all the powers she knew.
A fox poked its head out of a bush to her right. It sniffed cautiously, then slowly approached her. Maive remained motionless. The fox walked over and began to gnaw at the ropes tying her. Maive cried her silent thanks over and over. Praised be the Goddess!
The fox finished chewing threw the rope and backed up a few steps. Maive patted it carefully on the head with one hand while pulling out the gag with the other.
"Thank you, little friend." she said.
The fox flicked it's tail, then turned and disappeared into the bushes. Maive straightened. She crept up to the house carefully, chanting a concealing spell under her breath. She peeked in a window and saw the guards frozen and Marissa looming over her cauldron. She ducked out of view again, quickly assessing the situation. There was nothing she could do for the guards. But she could catch Tony.
Maive hurried away from the house and after Tony. Her father had been a hunter and had taught her a little about wood-lore and the like. She should be able to follow his trail as long as he didn't try to cover it. From what she saw so far, he hadn't even thought of it. Good. Maybe she could still catch him in time to fix everything.
Marissa sat down heavily in her old wooden chair. Magic could be tiring. She hadn't understood that at first when she was younger, but she had learned quickly that magic was like everything else. It depleted with use. She had used a lot of magic recently. It would take awhile to rejuvenate.
But she had to check on her wolves. She had already spied her servant in the 10th Kingdom. He was doing quite well, spreading strife and anger as he went. The 10th Kingdom would be the first to go. They had no great magic there to fight the spreading animosity. But they did have great weapons that she didn't understand, but knew could destroy that entire kingdom. No, it wasn't hard to corrupt a kingdom that was already corrupted.
The 2nd Kingdom would be next. That she could already feel. It, too, had been susceptible.
Now she must check on the wolves. They should have reached the rosebushes by now. She collected her strength and pushed herself up out of the chair and over to the cauldron. She wearily used her magic to find Wolf. The picture was a little hazy from her tiredness, but clear enough to show Wolf running from a giant. Alerted, the witch focused the picture, looking closer. Wolf had Virginia with him! And Cinnamon was nowhere to be seen. This was very bad.
Marissa looked closer at Wolf. Something glistened in his hand. She focused the picture farther. He had the rose! She had to keep him safe, but get him away from Virginia. She needed time. Time to think. Time to restore her magic. But she didn't have time.
She would just have to wait and watch and hope her Wolf made it out of it and his mate didn't.
"Wolf, I'm too tired. I can't run anymore." Virginia panted.
Wolf had temporarily thrown off the giant with quick changes in their path and by doubling back and the like. But Virginia could still hear him, stomping around close by.
Wolf glanced back at her and saw she really couldn't keep going. He stopped, releasing her arm. He, too, was panting, but nowhere near as hard as Virginia was.
Wolf's mind buzzed, trying to think of a solution to this problem. They could hide, but the giant might step on them or, if they ran again, would be close enough to catch them. They needed someplace that a giant couldn't get to.
"Huff-puff, but where?" Wolf cried out loud.
"Where what?" Virginia asked in between trying to catch her breath.
"Where can't the giant go."
Virginia thought quickly.
"Underground? Small caves?" she offered.
"Underground! But how do we get underground?" Wolf whined and began pacing.
"If that's truly where you wish to hide, simply find a tree marked X and climb inside."
The singing ring! Wolf and Virginia both stared at the ring, then both jumped and went quickly to the nearest trees.
"A tree marked X. A tree marked X. There's a million trees around here, how are we supposed to find…?" Wolf began as he bounded from tree to tree.
"I found it!" Virginia called.
Wolf ran up behind her and saw she had found a tree with an X carved in the trunk. The tree was huge, if Virginia and Wolf had joined hands, they still probably couldn't encircle it. But there was no obvious way inside.
"How do we get in?" Virginia asked.
"I don't know. Oh, cripes! The giant's coming back this way." Wolf began walking around the tree, running his hands over it, looking for some kind of secret knob of something.
Wolf pulled on a little twig and the tree opened. A part of the tree simply swung out.
"Virginia!" he called.
She was quickly at his side. But she didn't like the looks of the darkness inside.
"Is it safe?" she asked hesitantly.
"Safer than out here! Come on!" Wolf cried.
He climbed inside and Virginia followed slowly. The door snapped shut behind them.
The giant entered the clearing just as the door closed. He stomped around, but didn't see or hear any sign of the two he was following. He continued on, determined to find them.
"Woooooaaaaahhhh!" Virginia cried as her feet hit nothing and she fell.
She landed on her butt on something hard, then started sliding down. She leaned back, hoping the ceiling wasn't low. She couldn't even see her hand in front of her face, but she could hear Wolf ahead of her.
And then, just as suddenly, she was out of the tunnel or whatever it was and in some dim lighted place. Her momentum carried her off the slide and she landed right on top of Wolf. He grunted and tried to move out from under her.
Virginia blinked. Even the dim lights seemed bright compared to the darkness they had just left. Her eyes adjusted slowly, but when they did she saw that the light was from torches and that they were inside some kind of giant underground tunnel. She could hear voices far off, maybe in a different tunnel, but she couldn't see anyone. She felt Wolf trying to get to his feet and quickly got herself untangled from him.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"Shhh." Wolf shushed her quickly. He looked around at their surroundings, sniffing and listening, "I think these are goblin tunnels. Maybe ogre. I haven't had the chance to smell either before, but from what I've heard, they're supposed to be a colony or something hidden underground, but since they don't surface for anything less than the end of our world, they have been mostly forgotten."
"Goblin? As in…" Virginia began in a whisper.
Wolf nodded, "Yes. Goblins are pretty nasty creatures, according to history. They mainly care about only two things: themselves and money. There have never been many of them because they fight and kill each other so often. They're not incredibly bright, but they're smart enough. If we can not run into any of them, that would be best."
And so of course we will, Virginia thought irritably. Whenever there's someone or something that we don't want to mess with, we always get mixed in with it anyway.
Virginia opened her mouth to tell Wolf as much, but he clamped a hand over it. He shook his head and drew her back into the shadows with him. She froze, trusting him. As she watched, five hideous looking creatures walked right past the small section of tunnel that they were in. She looked at Wolf, wondering if it was okay for him to drop his hand from her mouth yet. Her eyes got wide.
Wolf was trying desperately not to sneeze. He let go of Virginia and covered his mouth and nose with both hands. The goblin scent in such close quarters was too much for his nose. The smell was sending him into a sneezing and coughing fit, that he was trying to keep from coming. Goblin hearing was good. Maybe not as good as his, but very close. He could get them captured and killed if he couldn't keep this sneeze!
Virginia gestured at him. He could not sneeze! Not right now. She was not being taken prisoner by goblins. No way.
Wolf couldn't hold it any longer. He sneezed, trying to cover the sound with his hands. This was followed by two more sneezes, but he managed to stop any more.
Wolf and Virginia both froze, waiting to see if the goblins had heard. Nothing happened.
Finally, they both decided that they hadn't been heard. Wolf sighed with relief. Virginia leaned into him, too exhausted to do much else. Wolf closed his eyes, smelling her scent, sniffing deeply, getting rid of the goblin smell in his nose.
There was a clanking noise. Wolf's eyes snapped open and Virginia found new energy to spin around. At least, ten goblins stood at the entrance of the tunnel, all with spears.
Tony was faster than Maive had ever thought possible. She had to hurry to keep him in sight. She was still trailing him, but staying far enough away that he didn't know she was.
At first, she had been about to go right up to him, demand an explanation, maybe yell at him a little. But there had been something wrong about him. Nothing physical that she could see, just a feeling she got from him. Her intuition told her that she shouldn't approach Tony right now. And as a witch, she had been taught to always listen to her intuition.
So for now, she was just following him. From the direction he was going, it looked like he was headed back to Wendell's Castle. Which would have made sense. Going for help. Except that, although Maive really didn't like Tony that much ( he was arrogant, bossy, and basically a jerk), she was sure he wouldn't have just left her there. After all, he had been one of the Four who saved the 9 Kingdoms.
Maive shook her head. She knew something was wrong. She just knew it. She just wasn't sure what it was or what it might do.
Cinnamon had stayed nearly unmoving for a long time now. The giant was far off now. She couldn't even hear the booming of its steps or the trees swaying with its passage. But still, she didn't move.
Finally, after a long debate with herself, Cinnamon got up. She looked around cautiously, wary of any other dangers that Wolf taking the rose might have caused.
Cinnamon dusted herself off and walked out from her hiding place. She sniffed. She could still smell Wolf here and the giant. But the smells were old, fading. She could follow Wolf's smell. But what if it took her to the giant? What if Wolf had been killed?
Cinnamon whimpered at the thought. She didn't like the images it brought up and she quickly quelled them.
But something told her she had to find Wolf. Had to. Even if it led her to the giant.
Cinnamon followed Wolf's scent all the time wondering how she, a lone wolf, set in her way of being a lone wolf, had gotten into all this.
Wolf and Virginia were forced through many passages before they came to a huge main chamber. Inside was a fortune's worth of gold and jewels. And a fat, ugly goblin with a sparkling golden crown on his head seated on a marble thrown.
Wolf and Virginia were prodded in the back, forced forward. Virginia tripped and fell to one knee. The goblins mistook the action for her bowing to their obvious ruler.
"Yes, puny human. Bow to King Runthlac." the king said in a heavily accented voice.
Wolf knelt to help Virginia up, but was kicked in the back and sent sprawling. The goblins snickered. Wolf growled. Then began sneezing fitfully again. The goblins stared at him and Virginia followed their gazes to Wolf's tail.
"Is a Wolf? Stupid animal. Coming down here. Very stupid." the king laughed.
The other goblins laughed, too, adding their own comments about Wolf's stupidity.
"What…what are you going to do with us?" Virginia asked and winced at how much that sounded like a line out of a cheap comic book.
The king thought that over. Then, grinned.
"We will torture the Wolf and make the human our slave." he announced.
Virginia almost groaned. These guys were as bad as the Trolls.
But the king wasn't finished, "First, we will starve the wolf and put him in a cage in the dining hall, then we'll cut off his tail, then we'll wait until the full moon and…" he paused for affect, "…we'll feed him the human!"
The goblins cheered. Wolf tried to jump to his feet. He was shoved down again. He pulled his tail and around and held it protectively. Virginia shook her head furiously, her eyes wide with horror.
But then, she remembered something. Wolf wasn't affected by the full moon anymore. Or he wasn't if that witch hadn't lied. Virginia didn't like relying on an evil witch. They had to get out of here.
Cinnamon's eyes flashed again and she growled low in her throat when she caught the girl's scent. She was as much hunting the girl now as tracking Wolf. Inwardly, she was afraid of what she might do when she found them. It was a full moon tomorrow night.
Cinnamon stopped. The scent was stronger here. But it didn't leave the area. Wherever they were now, they were here last.
Cinnamon searched the area until she found the tree where the two had disappeared. Here, their scents stepped. Cinnamon examined the tree. She didn't see any way for them to climb up.
She circled the tree slowly, they couldn't have disappeared into thin air. She examined the X on the tree very closely, but found nothing.
Cinnamon sighed and leaned back against the tree. She had no idea where they could have possibly gone.
Something clicked under Cinnamon's shoulder. She spun, stepping back to see a twig on the tree had moved and part of the tree swing open. It was pitch black inside. But Wolf and the girl's scents continued through there so Cinnamon stepped inside.
Wolf curled up on the bottom of his cage. He was above the ground ( whether that was to make it easier for him to see the food, make it harder for him to escape, or to put him at a better level to throw things at, he didn't know), swinging back and forth slightly in a steel cage. It was cold, especially on the sheet of metal that was the cage bottom. If he had been an actual wolf at the moment he would have curled up in a tight ball with his tail over his nose. As it was, he sat scrunched up, whining and whimpering quietly.
Wolf's whimpering turned to growls when he caught sight of the goblins shoving Virginia and making her do servant work. His growls turned into snarls when one of them struck her in the back with the butt of his spear and she was sent sprawling. Wolf wrapped his hands around the bars of his cage, clinging to them.
"Leave her alone!" he snapped.
One of the goblins threw a goblet at him, but it hit the bars of the cage and bounced away. Wolf growled some more.
Virginia heard him and looked up at him. Wolf looked at her and tried to apologize with his eyes. He was sorry for leading her down here. Virginia shook her head. She motioned for him to be quiet. She didn't want him to get hurt. Wolf was about to reply when Virginia was pushed out of the room. The minute she was out of his sight, Wolf returned to his whimpers and whines.
"Fine mess." Wolf said to himself, "Oh, huff-puff, I don't know how we're going to get out of here. This is bad. Oh, very bad, indeed."
Wendell nearly ran down the steps to the courtyard when he heard that Anthony had returned. He stopped and composed himself before going out to meet him.
"Anthony! You're back! Did all go well? What happened?" Wendell demanded.
Anthony just stared at him a little blankly.
"All went well," he agreed finally, "The witch is dead."
"And Wolf and Virginia?" Wendell pressed, so excited he didn't notice Tony's behavior.
"They're still missing, but I'm sure they'll be alright now. They're probably on their way back now."
"Oh, splendid! Come, Anthony. I'm sure you're tired and hungry." Wendell said, beginning to lead Tony off into the castle. He stopped suddenly when he remembered something, "But where are the two guards and the witch that went with you?"
"The witch left as soon as the evil one was killed. The guards went home. I told them to take a couple days off." Tony responded.
"Oh. Good then! Let's go. You will have to tell me all about what happened…"
"I would rather like to rest, your majesty." Tony said woodenly.
"Of course. Go ahead then, Anthony." Wendell said.
He stared after Tony a little shocked.
"Anthony never calls me 'your majesty'. Except when he's sarcastic." Wendell paused, "Oh, I sure hope it's just because he's very tired. I don't have time to deal with another horrible disaster."
Maive stayed on the edge of the woods around the castle. She was pretty sure she had it figured out. Tony was under a spell. That would explain her feeling. And why he left without her to return to Wendell's castle. He was spying for Marissa. This, too, made sense. This way she wouldn't have to use as much magic on scrying. She could simply use a link to Tony and find out what had happened or was happening.
But that still left Wolf and Virginia. Maive had had another vision and knew that they were together again, but that they were in worse trouble than before. She also knew that Wolf had the rose.
"A choice, Maive. Make a choice. The greater good. Tony and Wendell, who are right here. Or Wolf and Virginia who are Goddess knows where and in terrible danger." Maive heaved a big sigh, "Oh, Maive. You know you're going to go to Wolf and Virginia. And use the teleporting spell that you were specifically told not to use because you're too ill experienced. But you have to stop Wolf from giving Marissa the rose. That is what you're going to do and it has nothing whatsoever to do with you wanting to meet Wolf and Virginia. Yeah, right."
Maive stopped trying to lie to herself and instead concentrated on the teleporting spell. She was going to need something that she could focus on. Something magic. The golden rose, of course. Which meant that she would need roses for this spell.
Maive moved off from her resting-place and towards the royal gardens. There would be roses there.
Cinnamon slid down the tunnel, yelping in surprise when she fell. She hit the ground with a thud and quickly checked out her surroundings.
"Only goblins could have a smell like that." Cinnamon said out loud, stifling the urge to sneeze.
But she also smelled Wolf and the girl. Their scents mixed with the goblins. They had been captured.
For some reason this gave Cinnamon a wave of relief followed by a horrible dread. She had to get Wolf out of here! She completely forgot the girl and concentrated instead on how she was going to get Wolf and herself out with both their skins.
Cinnamon finally decided that her best strategy would be stealth and surprise. If she could sneak in, then grab Wolf, they might have just enough time to…
To what? How was she going to get out of this place? She needed to find a way out first.
Cinnamon used her nose, trying to find the smell of fresh air. These goblins very rarely surfaced, if the stories were true, but they had to have an exit somewhere. They had to be able to go get food and the like, hadn't they? Of course, they had. She just had to find it.
Virginia tried to keep her temper in check. She wanted so bad to turn around and punch these stupid goblins. If one more goblin commented on "puny humans" or made her fall down on her face and laughed at her, she was going to scream.
But she knew she had to do whatever they wanted. She needed to stay alive long enough to find a way out of here. She was no help to herself or Wolf if she was dead. And it wasn't just her she had to think about! She had her cu….baby to think about, too.
Great. Now I'm calling it a cub, Virginia thought to herself as she began sweeping with the crude broom that was thrust in her hand. It was pointless since they were underground and the floor was dirt, but she didn't object.
Virginia suppressed her anxieties about the baby. Now was not the time. Now was the time to keep a clear head and tried to make the best of her situation.
Virginia watched to see if she could find an exit. Goblins passed by, heading to other places along tunnels that crossed this one. Some headed one way with food and supplies. Others headed in the opposite directions with empty baskets.
There must be a way out that way, Virginia thought to herself. But how could she be sure? There could be an exit around the corner or a mile down the tunnel. There might be a million twists and turns in between. She might never find the way out.
But if she could somehow free Wolf, she was sure he would be able to. But how to do that?
Wolf had fallen asleep. He had no idea how he could have done that. But somehow he had accomplished it. When he woke, in a cold sweat from bad dreams, he had no idea how much time had passed. His internal clock told him that it was night.
Wolf's stomach growled almost as loud as he had earlier. He hadn't eaten since that morning with Cinnamon.
Cinnamon! What had happened to her? He had forgotten. It seemed like such a long time ago that he had been traveling with her, looking for the golden roses. He wondered if she was looking for him. He wondered if the giant was still out there looking as well.
Wolf hated this cage. It was not right to put a Wolf in a cage. It just wasn't right.
The goblins were eating. They tore apart pieces of meat almost as ravenously as a he did on the full moon. Wolf began to drool as he watched and his stomach growled again. Oh, he wanted some of that meat. He needed that meat. He…
No! He was in control. He was okay. They wouldn't get anything out of him! No, siree!
Wolf sneezed again. The goblin smell was overwhelming his sense of smell. He had sneezed too may times to count already. He wished Virginia was there, her wonderful smell permeating the air.
Stop whining, Wolf. Something will work out. Something has to. It just has to.
Maive concentrated all her energy into the spell, using her entire gift. This was going to take all the magic she possessed. She glanced up at the nearly full moon briefly. Maybe she should wait one night for the full moon.
The thought froze her. Maybe she should wait. Her teacher had always said to wait for auspicious times for magic if it was at all possible. Especially hard magic. Maybe she should wait for the full moon and spend today trying to help Tony.
Maive was so busy debating that she didn't notice the guards coming near her. She was hiding inside the garden near the rose bushes that she had relieved of a couple of blossoms.
Maive jumped at the sound of a sword being pulled out of its sheath. She spun and the first thing she saw was a steel sword pointed at her.
"What are you doing in King Wendell's royal gardens?" the guard demanded.
Maive tried to handle the situation as coolly as the first time Wendell's guards had pointed swords at her.
"I'm trying to do a spell, you mind?" she replied.
The guard didn't seem to like her answer. She changed her approach.
"Forget it. I need to speak with King Wendell. Right away." she added, seeing the guards' doubtful expressions. Maive sighed in exasperation, "Just ask him. He'll know who I am. Tell him I must speak to him privately and that it's very important."
The guards glanced at each other. The leader of the two nodded to the other and he hurried off, back towards the castle. The other sheathed his sword, but stayed with Maive.
"Come with me, then, witch." he said and Maive could hear the infliction in his voice when he said witch.
Maive dismissed it and followed the guard into the castle, putting the roses into her pouch. She could make them into components for the spell and get some more fresh roses later, as well. Hopefully she could convince Wendell of the danger he was in.
Cinnamon thought she was getting closer to a way out. But the closer she got the more her nose got confused with the goblin smells. Luckily she hadn't come in close quarters with any and she was able to hold back the sneezes that wanted to come and would surely get her caught. She could hear them moving around in the tunnels near her and carefully timed her movements to avoid them. It was almost like moving through enemy territory, but also like hunting. If she dropped the human part of her and let the wolf take over, she could move from shadow to shadow without even making a sound.
Finally, the smell of fresh air got strong enough that Cinnamon could inhale it deeply without being afraid of getting too much goblin scent in her nose. She peeked around a corner to see a door down the tunnel about thirty feet away. She ducked back out of sight when three goblins entered and disappeared down another tunnel.
She had found the way out. Good. Now she needed to make sure she could find it again.
Cinnamon picked up a small stone off the ground and made a quick scratch on the wall to mark the spot. She checked to make sure no one had heard, then continued back the way she had come, making marks at every intersection in the tunnels. When she reached where she had started from, she tried to pick up Wolf's scent again. It was very faint, hard to detect under the goblin smells. Cinnamon had to strain to find it. But when she did, she followed it, careful to keep her guard up.
Cinnamon could hear commotion. She froze, glancing swiftly into the large chamber where the noise was coming from. In her quick glance she assessed the situation. There was a long table stretched across the chamber, gold and silver treasures scattered about. Goblins were all over the room, sleeping on and under the table, eating, and throwing things at the cage over the table. In the cage was Wolf.
Cinnamon growled inwardly. Putting a wolf in a cage. He must be going crazy in there. No room to bound. No doubt they hadn't given him a scrap of food or a drop of water either. Poor Wolf.
Cinnamon was filled with a growing rage. If it had been a full moon, she probably would have run in there and tried to rip the goblins to shreds. As it was, she was able to concentrate her rage into thinking up a plan.
There's was only one thing Cinnamon could think to do. She hoped that the stories were right and that the goblins weren't too smart and that their greed was as huge as it was said to be. If it wasn't, she would be as bad off as Wolf. She tucked in her tail and made herself presentable. She did not want them to know she was a wolf.
Cinnamon bounded into the hall, landing gracefully in the entrance. She waited patiently to be noticed. She glanced once, cautiously, at Wolf. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth in a big O of surprise. He shook his head furiously at her. Cinnamon ignored him. She cleared her throat noisily, trying to get some attention.
It worked. The goblins all around the room turned to stare at her.
"Excuse me. I was told that there was one here who would be interested in the greatest treasure in all the 9 Kingdoms. Did I mistakenly come to the wrong place?" she asked in a sweet, convincing voice.
The goblins all immediately came closer and their eyes widened ( if that were possible since they had huge eyes).
"You'z at right place." one said.
"Yeah." others agreed.
"Oh, good. I do hate it when I get the wrong address. Now, who is it that I am supposed to speak with on this?" Cinnamon asked, using her most aristocratic voice.
The goblins immediately broke into a roar of noise, all claiming to be the person she was seeking. Then, they broke into a fight. Cinnamon took the opportunity to glance at Wolf again. He looked shocked. She motioned with her head and mouthed for him to do something.
"What you looking at?" one of the goblins asked suspiciously, glancing in the direction she had been looking.
"Oh, nothing much. I was just wondering if that's a real wolf that you have up there." Cinnamon asked, quickly covering her tracks.
"Yes. Yes. We're going to torture hims." another goblin announced like a little child excited over a great achievement.
Cinnamon went with it.
"Well, well. You must be great warriors. I hear it's very hard to catch wolves." Cinnamon moved closer to Wolf's cage, as if to get a better look at the captive, "Filthy animals. Frankly, I think we should cage them all."
Cinnamon put just enough vehemence in her voice that it sounded convincing even to herself. She inwardly winced at the statement. Wolf's shocked look hadn't changed. If anything it had gotten even worse.
"But." Cinnamon continued quickly, turning back to her audience, "I'm not here to talk about animals. I'm here to talk treasure. Is one of you the leader around here?"
This question brought silence over all the little monsters. Cinnamon cocked her head and raised one eyebrow.
"No? Well, then. Perhaps one of you could direct me to him. I would be glad to repay whoever would do me the service." Cinnamon said although she had no idea what she would repay them with.
There was a scramble to be the one to guide her and another fight broke out. Cinnamon glanced up at Wolf one more time. He finally seemed to have caught on, though he still looked surprised and doubtful. He reached in his pocket and removed something. He scooted backwards, hiding whatever it was behind his back, then dropping it through the bars. Cinnamon caught it quickly. It was the golden rose! She quickly hid it in her clothes.
"Come now, haven't we reached a decision yet?" Cinnamon asked impatiently. She pointed to a goblin quickly, one who looked dumber than the others did, "You. You will escort me, will you not? Good. Let's be off."
The goblin almost beamed with pride at being chosen and strutted past the others. For his efforts, he got a plate thrown at him that hit him in the back of the head. He would have turned around and fought again if Cinnamon hadn't grabbed his arm and forced him ahead.
Unfortunately, this got her a whiff-full of goblin smell. Cinnamon sneezed loudly, then sneezed again. She yanked out a cloth and covered her nose. She blew, trying to get all the smell out. She saw the goblin staring at her.
"Terrible allergies, I'm afraid. The underground air is making them act up. Very sorry." Cinnamon said, improvising quickly.
She hesitated, sure the goblin wouldn't buy it. But he did! Cinnamon silently thanked whatever stroke of luck had gotten her past that near disaster.
Cinnamon followed the goblin, staying a good distance away and breathing through her mouth only. She was led into another chamber, this one spilling over with gold, jewels, and other artifacts that were priced higher than anything Cinnamon had ever laid eyes on before. She resisted the urge to steal something, but then realized she'd have to. She had promised a reward to this miniature troll.
Cinnamon edged to the side a little and snatched up a golden gauntlet. She took a few steps forward, as if to approach the goblin ruler, then turned back to her guide as if she had just remembered him.
"Here. Take this for your trouble. Thank you for your assistance. " she said and handed it to him.
Cinnamon saw the goblin king, or whatever he was, narrow his eyes suspiciously and quickly stepped up to distract him.
"You are very rich indeed, your majesty." Cinnamon commented, her eyes roaming the room.
Cinnamon quickly dimmed the glint coming into them and distracted herself, by focusing on the fat monstrosity that sat on the marble throne.
"Perhaps you won't be interested in what I've come to offer you." she said.
She could see curiosity come over the goblin followed on swift feet by greed.
"What's that, human weakling?" he demanded.
Cinnamon roamed the room carelessly, taking her time in answering. She touched a jade figurine and had to snatch her hand back. The statue could have gotten her all the supplies she'd need for ten years. She spun to face the goblin king.
"Just the greatest treasure in the kingdoms." she said conversationally.
She raised her eyebrows. She would have added a little flash of her eyes, but was worried that it would just give her away instead of help the situation.
The goblin scooted forward on his throne. The guards on either side of him glanced at each other and stared at her expectantly.
"I happen to possess a treasure that is unattainable by any, but a very select few. A treasure that hasn't been touched by mortal hands since the death of Gretel the Great. A treasure that I am sure you will never see the likes of again. Interested?" Cinnamon asked.
The goblin was about to nod, but stopped and leaned back. He glanced at her suspiciously and touched a grimy finger to his jaw as he thought. He scratched at a wart on his face and seemed to be trying to figure something out. Cinnamon could almost see the wheels turning ever so slowly.
"What in it for you?" he asked finally.
"Me?" Cinnamon stumbled, but quickly caught herself. She straightened, "I think there must be something of yours that sparks my interest. Perhaps a trinket of yours?"
Cinnamon's eyes flicked back across the room, then focused on the goblin again.
"Or maybe…I've always wanted to get back at one of those nasty wolves. Torture him a little. Wave some steaks in front of his face. Maybe you would trade. An artifact of your choice and that grubby wolf for the one of a kind, truly remarkable gift I have for you?" Cinnamon suggested.
The goblin thought for another long period of time. Cinnamon was getting very anxious. She wrung her hands, waiting for an answer.
"We'z were looking forward to torturing him usselves. We'z were going to chop off him tail." the goblin paused, as if waiting for Cinnamon to comment.
"Oh, wonderful idea!" Cinnamon agreed, resisting the urge to touch her tail at the thought, "But I'm sure that once you see what I have to offer, you will agree that I am being more than fair."
The goblin paused again and Cinnamon began wringing her hands even more furiously. She couldn't stand this waiting!
"Let's a see it." he said, making Cinnamon jump.
Cinnamon reached in her pocket and whipped out the rose with a flourish. She blocked it from the goblin's view with one hand and held it close in front of her face.
"What I have here is one of the infamous magic golden roses from Gretel's bushes. They have been guarded for nearly two centuries by dark spirits, unreachable to all who tried for them. But one." Cinnamon slowly lowered her hand dramatically, "Many have died trying for these beauties. Very powerful magic, as I'm sure you know."
The goblin seemed transfixed by the rose. He nodded absently to Cinnamon. He reached out to take the blossom, but Cinnamon snapped it away.
"First, I would like my payment, if you please. It's only fair and proper. Ladies first, you know." Cinnamon said.
The goblin seemed to want to think about that, but he could see Cinnamon was ready to leave and was afraid that meant with the rose.
"Alright. Get's the wolf!" he commanded his guards.
Five guards went off to get Wolf, leaving another four in the room.
"Don't forget the other part of the deal." Cinnamon reminded him and was afraid for a moment she had pushed it too far.
But the goblin didn't seem to notice. He understood greed.
"Of my choice." he said, reminding himself.
He scanned the room carefully. Cinnamon could see it was a hard decision for him, parting with one of his treasures.
"If I may make a suggestion?" Cinnamon stepped up quickly.
The goblin looked at her. Cinnamon quickly looked over everything, looking for something that he would part with without too much grief.
"That necklace." Cinnamon said, finally, pointing.
The goblin king examined it, then shrugged.
"Take then. Ah, here is wolf for you, too. Now give the rose." he commanded.
Cinnamon spun to see Wolf being forced in the room with spears points at his back and throat. He was sneezing fitfully. He froze when he saw Cinnamon. He opened his mouth to say something, but Cinnamon shook her head ever so slightly.
"Oh, good." Cinnamon said, approaching Wolf slowly.
She stayed a distance away from Wolf, as if trying to stay a safe distance from a dangerous animal. She stepped forward quickly and slapped him, then stepped back again. She shoved down the need to sneeze at being so close to the goblin guards.
"Filthy beast." she snapped.
Wolf stared at her speechlessly. He resisted the urge to touch his stinging cheek.
"Could you tie his hands or something? Make sure he's safe." Cinnamon suggested.
"Do it!" the goblin king commanded the guards.
They quickly set about doing as was requested. Wolf growled angrily, but did nothing. He watched Cinnamon closely. She could feel him watching her even when she wasn't looking at him. She quickly picked up the silver and jeweled necklace and pocketed it. She turned back to the king after a momentary pause.
"A treasure such as the one I give you should have a place of honor." she scanned the room, "There. On that gold pedestal. I will place it there for you."
Before he could object, Cinnamon set the golden object down on the pedestal in the corner, flinging the piece on the pedestal down into the piles of gold. She carefully placed a crystal box over the small golden artifact, then quickly began backing away.
"It's was wonderful doing business with you, your majesty. I must be going, I'm in quite a hurry. Thank you." Cinnamon said.
She turned, grabbed Wolf by the rope that was tied around his hands, and hurried from the room. The goblins backed off, unsure of what to do.
Cinnamon and Wolf were well down the tunnels toward the exit when they heard a loud bellow from the throne chamber.
"Uh oh." Cinnamon said, breaking into a run and dragging Wolf after her.
Wolf had been gagged and couldn't reply. For some reason he seemed almost reluctant to go, but didn't have much of a choice with Cinnamon pulling him along.
Both wolves could hear the goblins running after them. The noise got Wolf running faster with Cinnamon leading him through the passages. She finally reached the door, throwing it open and running out. Wolf came out after her. Cinnamon slammed the door shut. The door was set sideways in a grassy hill, disguised as just a piece of the scenery. She fell back on the door, yanking Wolf down, too. It wasn't long before they felt the goblins pounding on the door beneath them.
Cinnamon reached over and pulled the gag out of Wolf's mouth. She smiled slightly.
"you're welcome." she said.
"What? Oh! We have to go back." Wolf said.
Cinnamon stared at him.
"Are you out of your mind!" she yelled at him.
"But…Virginia's still back there! I have to go save her." Wolf said.
"Virginia? Not her again. Wait a minute! Virginia's the girl? Oh…cripes!" Cinnamon cried after failing to think of another word.
Wolf looked at her, confused.
"Nothing." Cinnamon said quickly, shaking her head, "I can not go back there. You can't either! They'll slaughter us! They were going to chop off your tail!"
"I know! But I don't have a choice. I have to save Virginia, end of discussion." Wolf declared.
Cinnamon sighed a very long sigh. She paused a moment.
"We need to block this door." she said finally.
Wolf smiled, glad he had her help. He looked around for something they could block the door with. Meanwhile, his mind went over what had just happened.
"I can't believe you slapped me." he commented, "And what exactly did you put on that pedestal?"
"Just a little piece of gold that he already owned. I knew we couldn't loose the rose, so I had to trick him. And I had to slap you. I needed to convince them that everything I said was true."
Wolf wanted to ask her what exactly she had said. Instead he pointed to a large log.
"Can you hold this while I drag that log over?" he asked.
Cinnamon nodded and braced herself to hold down the door. Wolf ran over to the log and dragged it over as fast as he could. Cinnamon jumped out of the way, quickly pulling over more rocks and objects to keep the door closed. Once they were sure that it was barred down good, Cinnamon collapsed on the ground again and Wolf began pacing.
"You have a plan?" Cinnamon asked, following him back and forth with her eyes.
"Yes. No. Maybe." Wolf growled in frustration, "I can't think! I'm too hungry."
"Then, eat something. Amazing Virginia can take care of herself for a little while, can't she?" Cinnamon asked bitterly.
Wolf glanced at her briefly. He didn't stop pacing.
"What do you think?" he asked.
Cinnamon acted surprised.
"Me? You're asking me? I think we should forget her and get out of here. But you can't do that."
"Why do you hate Virginia so much? You've never even met her." Wolf asked.
Cinnamon couldn't answer that. Not that she didn't have an answer. It was just one that she couldn't tell Wolf. She got up and turned away from Wolf.
"We should go now if you want to rescue her. They're probably all on this side, trying to get out here. We can go back around and sneak in and get her." Cinnamon said quietly.
Wolf jumped.
"Cripes! That's a great plan. Come on, let's go!" Wolf cried as he bounded off.
Cinnamon followed after him slowly. She was going to regret this. Sooner than later.